Collecting Thoughts on Collector's Editions

Springtime is upon us (at least in the northern hemisphere) and, if you haven’t been glued to Borderlands and Halo: Reach Beta testing like I have, you’ve probably noticed that the trees and flowers are blooming and the weather is warming up. From a gaming perspective, the spring and summer months are typically a time to:

A) Catch up on the games you didn’t have time to play when they came out in the Holiday/Winter quarters (Hello, Borderlands!).

B) Look ahead to the games that are coming out THIS Holiday/Winter.

While Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, and (the upcoming) Alpha Protocol & Crackdown 2 might have some gamers chomping at the bit, the big releases aren’t set to happen until that meaty Holiday quarter when developers saturate the market with awesome titles that will vie for your Chrismahanakwanzadan cash. Looking ahead to these upcoming titles, gamers have come to understand that most “triple A” titles are going to have a Limited/Collectors/Legendary Edition that will be going hard after an extra twenty to sixty dollars on top of the standard retail edition.

My question is: Is it worth it?

Don’t get me wrong, if you love a gaming franchise enough, the extra swag is certainly worth a little extra cash. I, myself, have thrown a few extra bucks for the Limited Editions of Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2, and Fable 2. Each time I get them, though, I usually find myself thinking, “I just wasted some cash on knickknacks I don’t need, a DVD I won’t watch or have already seen online, an art book I might flip through, and possibly a sweet in game item or two.

In a previous column, I also mentioned how the amazing art book for Mass Effect 2 COMPLETELY spoiled the twist with the end boss.

Think about it, how many of you have a Master Chief helmet from Halo 3’s Legendary Edition or the LP from Bioshock 2’s Collector’s Edition gathering dust somewhere?

So, in general, I’ve recently found myself against the Limited Edition packages.

Included in the Collector’s Edition are the usual suspects: the game, a “making of” DVD, a hard cover graphic novel, and (since it’s set in Vegas after all) a customized set of playing cards, poker chips, and a recreation of the “highly-coveted” Lucky 38 platinum chip from the game.

After reading all of the details, the devil popped up on my left shoulder and said, “WANT” only to be followed by the angel popping up on the other shoulder to tell me, “remember the OTHER ones!” This has left me back at square one.

What are your thoughts, gamers? What has been the best/worst Collector’s Edition you have purchased and are you in favor of spending a few extra rubles on “something shiny”?

Jonathan has been a news/views contributor since 2010. When he's not writing reviews, features, and opinion pieces, he spends his days working as an informal science educator and his nights as an international man of mystery.